Introduction
Admissions professionals serve as the “front lines” for the promotion and marketing of our schools. In so many cases they are the first contact families have with a school, and they are tasked with conveying the life and mission of a school, as well as answering the variety of questions that families ask about the academic program of the school, its many activities beyond the classroom, and the school’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. They must possess a working knowledge of how school leaders speak about the school and how the mission of the school is lived out each day.
Accordingly, these professionals understand how the school’s Episcopal identity—both its grounded tradition as well as its current vitality—speaks through all that the community does. They understand not only what families are asking about the mission of an Episcopal school but also where the school begins to talk directly about that mission. Questions about the nature of that identity, in all of their complexity and challenge, are welcomed by them as opportunities to delve more deeply into all of the dimensions of the school’s common life and self-understanding.
As people of integrity and transparency, Episcopal school admissions professionals live out this Episcopal identity in their work and commitment to the community. Be they involved in communications, retention, or assessing data, these professionals reflect what they are promoting about the school. In their collaborative work with administrators, chaplains, counselors, DEIJ practitioners, faculty, and staff, they embody the fullness of life in an Episcopal school.
These Principles of Good Practice for Admissions in Episcopal Schools are not meant to be “standards” or “prescriptions” for exactly how this work should be carried out. Rather, these Principles are offered to highlight the crucial components of an admissions practice that recognizes the centrality of Episcopal identity to the mission of the school.
- Admissions professionals in Episcopal schools possess a solid, working knowledge of the Episcopal identity and mission of the school they represent, and can articulate those elements of identity and mission to interested applicants and their families.
- The school’s marketing materials, including its website and social media presence, address the issue of Episcopal identity and mission directly, in ways that a large and diverse constituency can understand.
- Admissions professionals in Episcopal schools are deeply sensitive to the reasons why families may be interested in our schools—academic excellence, care for a child’s social and emotional development, and an emphasis on values, among other things—and can tie Episcopal identity to all of those reasons.
- Student guides and parent ambassadors, who work with the admissions staff, possess a working knowledge of the mission and aspirations of an Episcopal school.
- The school’s chaplain(s) are a valuable ally in explaining what it means to be an Episcopal school, to interested applicants and their families, and are instrumental at admissions events to help address questions about that identity and mission.
- The school’s chapel services are a prime opportunity for applicants and their families to see Episcopal identity in action and often serve as a way of promoting the strengths and values of the school, as well as easing concerns of families regarding how Episcopal identity is lived out in the life of the school. Many Episcopal schools center their admissions tours or meetings in the chapel, as both a symbolic statement as well as a sign that the Episcopal identity of the school is alive and active.
- A distinguishing feature of Episcopal schools is their commitment to academic excellence. Admissions professionals in Episcopal schools can highlight the important and natural link between Episcopal identity and the school’s pursuit of the intellectual development of each student.
- There is a prime opportunity, in marketing and explaining the school’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, to link it to the school’s Episcopal identity, and its commitment to viewing each individual as a child of God and worthy of equal dignity and respect.
- Likewise, there is a prime opportunity to link the school’s commitment to student wellness to the school’s commitment, as it is grounded in Episcopal identity, to the pastoral care of every member of the community.
- The spiritual development of each child is, primarily, at the discretion and understanding of every parent. Episcopal schools and their admissions professionals are respectful of that responsibility, while able to explain to families how the school’s commitment to spiritual development is in concert with, not in opposition to, what is taught and practiced at home.
- A key component of the work of the admissions office is the administration of financial aid to families. Episcopal identity plays a vital and identifiable role in the decisions made on financial aid, to make those decisions equitably and fairly.
- In their retention efforts, Episcopal schools clearly articulate the distinctive value proposition of the school as compared to other educational opportunities.
- For a diverse group of families, who in many cases are not deliberately seeking an Episcopal school or know what that means, stories can serve as a meaningful and appealing way to explain the school’s identity and mission. Those stories celebrate how Episcopal identity and mission are lived out in the school’s commitment to service, DEIJ work, and the building of character and community.
Disclaimer: Please note that the information provided should not be construed as legal advice nor should it be used as a substitute for consulting with legal counsel.